Novena To St. Rita de Cascia # 3 (May 13 – May 22

[The Novena consist of 9 days of prayers.]

Thank you St. Rita, patroness of impossible cases,
for your intercession on my behalf today.

O glorious St. Rita,
your pleadings before the Divine Crucifix
have been known to grant favors
that many would call the impossible.
Lovely St. Rita, so humble, so pure,
so devoted in your love for thy crucified Jesus,
speak on my behalf for my petition
which seems so impossible from my humbled position.

[Mention your need(s) here…].

Be propitious, O glorious St. Rita, to my petition,
showing thy power with God
on behalf of thy supplicant.
Be lavish to me,
as thou has been in so many wonderful cases
for the greater glory of God.
I promise, dear St. Rita,
if my petition is granted, to glorify thee,
by making known thy favor,
to bless and sing thy praises forever.
Relying then upon thy merits and power
before the Sacred Heart of Jesus I pray.

Amen.

Say 1 Our Father…

Say 1 Hail Mary…

Say 1 Glory Be…

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What is prayer?

Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God.

Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens. (Lamentations 3:41)

Why do we pray?

We pray:

  1. to adore God, expressing to Him our love and loyalty;
  2. to thank Him for His favors;
  3. to obtain from Him the pardon of our sins and the remission of their punishment;
  4. to ask for graces and blessings for ourselves and others.

Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. (Matthew 26:41)

How should we pray?

We should pray:

  1. with attention;
  2. with a conviction of our own helplessness and our dependence upon God;
  3. with a great desire for the graces we beg of Him;
  4. with loving trust in His goodness;
  5. with perseverance.

And all things whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you shall receive. (Matthew 21:22)

For whom should we pray?

We should pray especially for ourselves, for our parents, relatives, friends, and enemies, for sinners, for the souls in purgatory, for the Pope, bishops, and priests of the Church, and for the officials of our country.

But I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45)

How do we know that God always hears our prayers if we pray properly?

We know that God always hears our prayers if we pray properly because Our Lord has promised: “If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you.”

And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)

Why do we not always obtain what we pray for?

We do not always obtain what we pray for, either because we have not prayed properly or because God sees that what we are asking would not be for our good.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it upon your passions. (James 4:3)

Prayer from the Baltimore Catechism